ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the continuing debate around the use of video assistant refereeing (VAR) in football. In comparison to the relatively quiet introduction of technological decision aids in other sports, VAR in football has led to heated controversy. Drawing on Walter Benjamin's notion of ‘aura’, the chapter suggests that the continued reluctance to embrace VAR in football stems from an account of refereeing, which views the judgments of referees as unique, ritualistic acts rather than the straightforward application of general rules. This account supports a ‘Luddite’ argument against the use of decision-support technologies in sports, especially in cases where these technologies have ‘super-human’ epistemic capabilities. It argues that the Luddite argument is not compelling, and that criticism of VAR should focus on its procedural deficiencies, rather than on its experiential impact on fans and players, or on some general skepticism toward technology. The chapter argues that what (so far) makes the use of VAR in football less attractive than in other sports is its comparative lack of procedural transparency.
